


farther than yesterday

by fallenghosts



Category: Elementary (TV)
Genre: AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-02-24
Packaged: 2018-01-13 14:11:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1229377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallenghosts/pseuds/fallenghosts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joan and Jamie travel the world together. AU, drabbles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	farther than yesterday

_1\. Philippines_

On the next never-ending private flight from Berlin to Manilla, Joan pretends to sleep, tucked underneath her blanket while they remain at a steady thirty thousand feet. In the next seat over, Jamie reads a local German paper, nursing a cup of steaming tea in her hands. She’s careful about the light, regardless of how many times Joan stirs to get comfortable.

The weather had been nice in all the destinations they visited, however brief the stay, and the Philippines are no exception. Joan has a stirring thought in the back of her mind, as she takes a late breakfast downstairs, they will have to run out of luck sooner or later. She takes to swimming in the mornings to occupy her time, keeping her latest throw away cell phone in her bag, in their shared hotel room. She finds new distractions each day, while Jamie weaves her way in and out of the lobby without drawing suspicion from staff.

She doesn’t ask why Jamie disappears for varying portions of the day, why she makes the effort to stop by at least once to ‘check up’ on Joan, asking rather inane questions she wouldn’t voice otherwise. It’s often long before they call it a day, waiting for the midnight sky to stop moving. 

  
Joan hides behind the copy of the New York Times Jamie gets delivered to their door every day, watching out of the corner of her eye as Jamie slips her heels to the ground at the foot of her bed.

“The ‘vacations’ can stop as soon as you lose the passport, darling.” Jamie sits up, pausing to eye the documents out on the desk in front of her, not at all stealthy about her intentions. 

Joan folds the corner of the paper down, smudging ink on her palm, “Do I have to start guarding my papers again?”

“ _Again?_ ” Jaime teases, canting her head and leaning back with her elbows resting on the mattress. She changes the subject as Joan readies to rebuff, turning to rest her hand on Joan’s knee, trailing slow circles with her thumb. "Darling, you’re starting to look a little comfortable here…” 

Joan folds the newspaper back up.

“Perhaps it’s time for a business trip.”  
  


  
 _2\. England_

“Aren’t we cutting this a bit close?” Joan opens the passenger door to the first of many cars Jamie will rent for the duration of their stay, however long this time will be. Jamie doesn’t wait or answer, shutting the trunk and digging the keys out of her pocket as quickly as she can. 

“We haven’t any time to _dally_.” It’s the tone she saves when she’s feeling particularly merciless. “Johannes will try to worm his way out of the country the second he finds out I’m coming for him…” 

Jamie continues once they’re both in the car, doors locked. “Which will be soon, given the man spends entirely too much money on his paranoid tendencies.”

Joan watches her retrieve a pistol from underneath the car seat, and subsequently reach into the glove compartment for a silencer. She is meticulous with the weapon, hands steadily working as she checks the safety, placing the weapon in her purse.

Her eyebrow quirks at the rearview mirror, narrowing her eyes at the slow moving travelers passing them in the lot. The impassive look afterward is meant for Joan, who is not able to shake her openly surprised expression in time. “What? Were you expecting something different?”

“Joan, that’s… rather naive.” She reaches to squeeze Joan’s hand, splayed on top of her thigh. Jamie’s vacant expression lingers in Joan’s mind for the duration of the ride to the house.  
  
  


_3\. Germany_

Joan wanders the beach while Jamie goes to her next ‘appointment’ or ‘business meeting’, whichever matter needs taking care of that day. 

‘Appointments’ mean sorting money matters, from which she comes back with a smug look on her face, as though this is what she thrives on. One upping too-wealthy bankers hiding in third world countries is almost too simple for her, a cat and mouse game she can’t seem to resist. 

‘Business meetings’ have so far proved unpredictable. Often Jamie returns to their room, slips her heels off in discomfort, makes her way to her bed. And then she either reads on her laptop or browses her phone until it buzzes suddenly, expected. 

Phone calls signal problems that needed fixing, a detail gone overlooked, a careless slip. Sometimes, Joan can catch the conversation before it is hushed by a clipped and even ‘We will speak about this matter later.’  
  


When they go out to Hamburg, Jamie fits perfectly in the city, with her militant posture and pressed dress shirts. She is perfectly comfortable being devious here, she makes no effort to hide her connections either, nodding once outside to signal her driver. Before they enter a restaurant for lunch, she leads Joan with a hand resting on the small of her back, brushing her fingertips over the fabric of Joan’s new dress.

“You have good taste.” She looks pleased, looks her up and down before they are seated.

Jamie chooses from her menu first, humming under her breath as she watches Joan over the booklet with interest. 

“I took the liberty of ordering wine.” She leans in, pulling her chair closer to the table, tucking her phone in her purse with every intention to forget about work while they dine. 

“Of course you did.” She nudges Joan’s foot out of sight, smile unfurling as she picks a napkin off the table. 

“Don’t sulk, darling. It’s a perfectly good red.” Joan feels her cheeks flush when Jamie’s foot brushes up to her calf, “You can pick next time.”  
  


  
 _4\. Mexico_

News of Interpol closing in rapidly sends them to somewhere they wouldn’t attempt to look. Though almost apprehended in the Stockholm airport, they continue onward until they look like all the other tourists in the crowd. Jamie remains tense until the plane has made it down the runway and they’re rapidly ascending into the clouds. 

They hide in the moving mass of tourists when they get off the plane, making every attempt to blend in. They catch the latest bus to the pyramids, crowded together in the tiny space, Jamie dozing in fits until they are almost at the destination. She keeps to Joan’s side as the group embarks further inland, her fingertips grazing her forearm as they stop to get their bearings.

“Come along,” Jamie whispers, mouth curved just behind Joan’s ear, in constant motion. “I’ve something to show you, Joan.”

Joan reaches after her, weaving through the crowd, trinkets, and stands in her path. Jamie slows when they round to a back alley, leading onward as they avoid the main town and circle to the water. 

“Were you always this much trouble?” Joan calls after her, and Jamie answers with a coy smile, the crook of her finger beckoning as she steps backwards into the shadow of the tree line. They emerge from wilderness after cutting a path through the brush and beeline directly to the water, lapping at the beach. 

A boat is already waiting for them in the dock.      
  
  


_5\. Sweden_

Jamie preens in front of the mirror for a solid thirty minutes, occasionally glancing over at Joan, hoping to be caught. Joan does nothing to hide her exasperation, returning to hide behind her tablet, clicking through old emails as cover.

“Are you sure I can’t entice you…” And Joan responds by lifting the device higher, blocking her from direct view. 

Jamie pouts, nearing the bed with plans to get her way by whatever means necessary. “ _Please_.”

She takes up all of Joan’s space, leaning in until their lips almost touch, removing the tablet from her yielding grip and leaving it as far out of Joan’s reach as possible. Joan can feel fingertips sliding up her bare thigh as their knees bump. 

“Indulge me just this once?” Joan’s scoff is cut short when Jamie settles in her lap. She hikes her dress up and nudges Joan backward until the headboard blocks her retreat.

Her eyes flicker down and she can’t help but notice the garter, the holster. 

“… _ruin your dress._ ” Joan mouths against her neck, protesting when Jamie’s hand tangles in her hair, tugging her back gently.

“You’re only getting that opportunity if you come _with_ me.”

  
  
 _6\. Italy_

They split up after the fashion show, Joan is out of the door first, clutching her handbag close and setting her jaw. “Don’t follow me.”

“Fine,” Jamie’s voice betrays her, turning the opposite way and hailing a cab to nowhere. She tells the driver to go to any hotel, at least half an hour away. 

She drums her fingers on the armrest for the duration of the ride, while the driver talks to his wife in a hushed northern accent. She wants the children in private school, he doesn’t earn enough money. Jamie can’t remember what she had gotten upset over by the time she’s standing outside the hotel entrance, dialing Joan’s number from memory.

“I’m sorry.” And she means it. There is only a lone doorman outside at this time, leaving her to pace at the entrance.

“Oh.” A pause, followed by a drawn out sigh, possibly a hint of relief. “Have you gone to get a room somewhere?”

“Not yet.” 

“Come to the Hotel Riviera.” Joan is still frustrated, not yet forgiving. “We need to talk.”  
  


  
 _7\. Czech Republic_

It’s the rain that wakes her up once more. Joan squints against the rushing cold air and rolls the passenger side window up to where it was earlier. Jamie keeps driving, wordless and lost in concentration for hours on end, as Joan fades in and out of sleep at her side. 

The weather remains patchy for the whole afternoon. Jamie frowns and finally closes the sunroof when they drive right into a bad stretch of fog, mumbling something about weather that makes Joan smile, drowsy and oblivious. 

It smells like fall, a natural ending. Joan dreams about running away with the enemy, until she wakes up and finds it to be true.


End file.
